Written: June 18, 2025, for contest Sponsored by: Constance La France
Quote: "The lamps are different, but the Light is the same." By Rumi
********************
The shame I bear yearns to be set free,
Fantasies conceal what people must foresee.
A whirlwind of visualization—eerie, untamed,
Imagination dares where rules are disclaimed.
How I savor the reverie of zeal embrace,
A peculiar whimsy in a captivating place.
And I must admit, my mayhem is deep,
I roamed in a dream no one could leap.
I discuss virtue when the timing is right,
Hallucination sprouts in the depths of night.
Love and exhaustion long for glitter untamed,
I crave the superb, so easily maimed.
I remain anonymous to forestall disgrace,
My dignity is protected by historical lace.
But truths linger, and mine stands confined,
Ambition reveals the power of my mind.
Hearing apologies is beyond my reach,
Inwardly sustained as emotions beseech.
Each buried object holds a mystery tale,
A single sail has recognized its scale.
You can’t
embrace reality
forever
Its tenets
restrict
and constrain
By definition
it renames
itself
Once spoken
to then be
disclaimed
What comes
upon you
the moment laced
Where vacuums
exit
in time and space
Regenerates
from life’s
cocoon
In endless
cycles
—moon to moon
(Dreamsleep: January, 2024)
You can’t embrace
the moment forever
whose verity
at essence ungrained
By definition
it must rename itself
once mentioned
decried and disclaimed
What came upon you
to die in place
where vacuums exit
in time and space
Regenerating
from life’s cocoon
and starting over
—Amayasvan moon
(The New Room: December, 2023)
I died with high hopes I would directly rise
fast upwards to heaven. But to my surprise
someone kept me waiting, don't know for how long.
Commandments all ten dutifully obeyed,
three times per day all my long life always prayed,
so I had considered myself good and wise.
A bright angel told me: "My child, you are wrong.
Self-righteousness we call the trap you stepped in."
He showed me my life, the scales fell from my eyes.
Being big-headed was clearly my sin.
First I disclaimed but then bitterly cried,
profusely apologised, let go my pride.
Late comprehension in front heaven's door,
rueful confession: "I should have loved more!"
He nod in agreement and after a while
he opened the door beckoning with a smile.
victimised
ridiculed
bullied
ignored
targeted
mocked
silenced
war
isolated
violated
slandered
false
rumours
belittled
bullied
ignored
liar
joke
pathetic
sacked
rejected
nothing
small
unknown
disclaimed
forgotten
unsure
silenced
slandered
recluse
avoid
absents
silence
mystery
lies
mystery
lies
alone
unknown
I wish that I had cared enough,
to mention once or twice
That what I wanted now has changed,
old virtues turned to vice
The past left misbegotten,
and future long disclaimed
The present what I’m running from
—its hourglass in flames
(Villanova Pennsylvania: January, 2020)
I didn’t know it at the time,
but my misspent youth was planned
The training ground for what I’d write,
then hard to understand
The many schools, the teachers chides,
expulsions my reward
Postgraduate work for future truth,
all voices untoward
The risks were high, survival mined,
Shangi-La, a vagrant’s room
My pen disclaimed, all actions shamed,
flat broke one afternoon
From the diner’s window I heard the song
that turned my life around
As Gregg Allman sang ‘Melissa,’
my true destiny was found
And today I harbor no regrets,
there’s no one left to blame
As I write the words for me hard one
—my sinful past reclaimed
(Strafford Pennsylvania: July, 2019)
‘Thank You, Gregg—I Miss You’
When I want to express anger,
I get madder than hell
When I want to give love,
how deep is my well
On those times that I covet,
how green I become
And when wrestling with hate,
the result zero-sum
When my face blushes red,
I wear it with pride
Excitement and fury,
then never to hide
These things at my core,
at your risk to defame
Like politics censored
—emotional correctness disclaimed
(Villanova Pennsylvania: July, 2019)
Taking my place in your gazing blue eyes
Who stole the glow of my dawning sunrise?
As defiling your virtues you obliquely lied,
Pounding my heart till I died a little inside.
When a brilliant sunny day said goodbye
As lightening arrived to thunder blue sky
Storming my life, you left me teary eyed
Exacting high price by forfeiting my pride.
Reluctantly I disclaimed your sweet smile
As your blatant animosity put me in exile
And adulating ill-will you ceded to hate,
Trampling on destiny you altered my fate.
On my horizon cried your reign of disdain
As you rejected goodwill again and again.
Remnants of aspirations no longer claim
A desire of passions to reignite our flame.
Meaning of love soon indelibly changed
Revoking your name from souls estranged.
Hurt still remained, woefully pacified--
Lingering listlessly, till I died a little inside.
February 9, 2019
Placed first:Early March 2019 contest by Brian Strand
Placed second:I died a little inside contest by Silent One
She brightened like a child whose broken toy is glued together,
summon tears as one summons servants,
and danced like a flower in the wind.
She disclaimed the weariness,
that dragged upon her spirits like leaden weights,
exude a faint and intoxicating perfume of womanliness,
like a crushed herb,
and felt like an unrepentant criminal.
She flounders like a huge conger-eel
in an ocean of dingy morality,
gave me a surprised look,
like a child catching an older person in a foolish statement,
and gave off antipathies as a liquid gives off vapor.
She has great eyes like the doe,
heard me like one in a dream,
and let the soft waves of her deep hair fall,
like flowers from Paradise.
She looked like a tall golden candle,
moved like mirth incarnate,
and saw this planet,
like a star hung in the glistening depths of even.
She seemed as happy
as a wave that dances on the sea,
walks in beauty like the night,
brilliant, and as hard too, as electric light,
silent, standing before me like a little statuesque figure.
By Seth Yuhi Musinga
critical, cynical an slightly off put
likely awkward and writhing tortured
pinning up a smile and I'm dying for it
frozen with a touch that's lightly morbid
fights be roaring there's nightly storming
I used to be happy it was nice before this
life a lively forest trial drives detours
smile snide these sores fly on by see snores
riled rightly boards hide a broken heart
little clues of me that are shown with art
if you ain't ready for a journey then don't embark
before I'm not the only one with a broken heart
not a threat odd as it may seem
I'm living in a nightmare with a plain theme
longing for love man I'm so far past it
never saw the lies as they spoke sarcastic
there ain't any answers so don't start asking
they came up with cancer and dosed our asses
stowed rope to choke both our factions
made us fiends for fire then soaked our matches
it's a dirty game with a lot to gain
hidden loop holes that are not disclaimed
and valuable property people want to claim
we do what we can and just block this pain
~Rolphy
I would like the cats
They had cute and innocent faces.
Until to see in its mouth a bird.
And
I disclaimed...
Later, I began to love
the birds...
They should be more innocent.
One time I believed that.
Until to see in its mouth a worm.
Later I disclaimed.
And One day
On the way
Again While I thinking these,
I crashed an insect,
with out seeing.
In last minute I saw it.
but it was late.
We have damage
to somethings
knowingly or unknowingly.
To think; is it paradise or hell?
Or two both.
I decided finally,
The best, not to think a lot.